Project Management Rapture….#in…#pmot

Posted on May 24, 2011 by admin

I knew exactly how Reverend Harold Camping felt on Saturday when his end of the world prediction (known as “The Rapture”) failed to transpire.

I’ve been there, oh yes I’ve been there; not predicting the end of the world of course, but forecasting a key project milestone to a customer. Tracking progress carefully and communicating regularly and what happens……a project bananna skin sneaks under the sole of my foot and all hell breaks loose, my project milestone is suddenly hoofed into the future and I’m left in front of the customer with egg, not only on my face, but dribbling down my shirt as well.

Of course I always go back to the customer offering 3 options and making every endeavour to minimize the delay but…..it’s never the same.

Like so many of the good Reverends followers who sold their houses, or spent their life savings prior to “Rapture” the Customer inevitably feels cheesed off to say the least.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

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Return of The Apprentice….#pmot…#in…#entrepreneur

Posted on May 11, 2011 by admin

There are always plenty of laughs to be had in BBC’s “The Apprentice” – that’s what its all about after all, rather than a serious look at innovation or
entrepreneurship, it revolves around getting a bunch of young (naive) wannabes together who are generally arrogant, self opinionated and full of it; falling over themselves to look even dafter than they are in reality (all helped by clever editing of course)

Sir Alan hams it up, pontificating in cockney barrow boy English whilst trying not to fall off the box he has to place on his chair in order not to look too short.

Each task has a “project manager” – which has probably done more to damage the profession than anything else, most of the prats on the show probably think a Gantt is a term of abuse.

The funniest bit last night was when Sir Alan referred to himself as an “electronics expert….who sees things other people cannot see..”

Hmmmmm….perhaps he was referring to Amstrad’s “emailer” phone.
Oh Yes the famous emailer phone, widely used by Sir Alan’s receptionist to
usher in the hapless competitors.

Doesn’t every home have one ?

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

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The importance of bin on message #pmot #in

Posted on May 7, 2011 by admin

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the killing of Osama Bin Laden the message delivered surrounding his dispatch was certainly confusing to say the least.

First he died in a vicious firefight, next he was unarmed.

He used his wife as a human shield, then it was her who leaped in front of him!

The Whitehouse staff watched every moment of the assault live, then…… oh no they didn’t, they only watched the first couple of minutes before transmission was lost ! etc etc etc etc

“Jeeeezzzzzz! can’t these guys get anything right? ” millions around the world screamed at their TV’s.

And this is just the kind of mixed messages we deliver to our exasperated customers every day of the week. First we promise delivery on a certain date, then we go back and revise it, then someone else tells them a different story, its hardly any wonder that customers get fed up and go elsewhere.

So here are some simple tips to make sure your organization is on message for your customers:-

1) Where possible have one direct contact per customer, if this is not feasible have one contact for engineering issues, another for commercial etc.

2) Before giving a customer a key milestone make sure the project plan is fully developed and includes some contingency to allow for risk.

3) If events transpire to affect a key customer milestone make sure every option is explored to pull back on track before going back to the customer with the bad news.

4) If a major milestone is affected this should be communicated face to face.

5) Always give the customer a series of alternative options, so they can choose the best for them.

Keeping the customer on message is an essential part of managing customer relations and ensuring steady, repeat business.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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#Space…the final frontier….#pmot….

Posted on April 11, 2011 by admin

5o years ago today Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space when he orbited the earth in his Vostok spacecraft, winning the cold war race and catapulting himself into the annals of history.

Consider for a few moments what we have achieved since then.

We have taken “one small step for a man, giant leap for mankind” when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969.

Like Icarus we have sailed too close to the sun in Apollo 13 and survived through tremendous ingenuity and fortitude.

Through Hubble we have peered back through Space & Time to the very origins of the Universe.

Perhaps our greatest achievement was when cold war foes became friends and joined hands in the International Space Station 30 years after Gagarin’s first tentative flight.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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10 predictions which CRASHED & BURNED….#pmot #in

Posted on December 30, 2010 by admin

It’s that time of year again when we all reflect on what has passed and look forward to what is to come, so here are three predictions for 2011 and beyond:-

U.K Economy – whereas there has been a resurgence in manufacturing in the U.K, and a very welcome one at that, there are an awful lot of people facing an uncertain future particularly in the Public sector where tens of thousands will return to work after the holidays to pick up their redundancy notices. On a personal level this is devastating and any talk of these people being absorbed by the private sector is complete nonsense. Some will make the transition but many will face a long painful struggle.

If you are in this position it is a time to reflect on your career and if you are lucky enough to have received a reasonable redundancy payment take time out to think about what you really want to do with your life. Recessions are a great time for starting your own business for if you can survive a downturn you will be well placed for the future.

FTSE 100.

The Footsie 100 has been on Bull run since early 2009 and currently stands around 5800. The all time peak was around 6800 before the Crash so to assume the current Bull run will continue unabated is blindly optimistic. Shares have been a fairly “safe” option recently with interest rates at an all time low but with inflation on the increase interest rates are due to rise in the next year making Savings accounts more attractive, consequently the FTSE rally with grind to a halt in 2011.

Freelancing.

There are an estimated 1.4 million Freelancers in the U.K. representing a 14% growth in the last 10 years (Small Business Research Centre at Kingston University) and their numbers are set to rise as this form of employment becomes more common. A significant portion are highly skilled Engineers & Project Managers.

As employers seek flexibility and to minimize severance pay, employing Freelancers at a higher day rate becomes a favored option.

So there are our predictions for 2011 which will probably go the same way as these classic “10 predictions which crashed & burned”……..

1) “There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now; All that remains is more and more precise measurement.”
Lord Kelvin, speaking to the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1900.

2) “The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty—a fad.”
The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903

3) “While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility, a development of which we need waste little time dreaming.”
Lee DeForest, American radio pioneer and inventor of the vacuum tube, 1926

4) “By the year 1982 the graduated income tax will have practically abolished major differences in wealth.”
Irwin Edman, professor of philosophy Columbia University, 1932.

5) “Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons.”
Popular Mechanics, March 1949

6 “If excessive smoking actually plays a role in the production of lung cancer, it seems to be a minor one.”
W.C. Heuper, National Cancer Institute, 1954.

7) “It will be gone by June.”
Variety, passing judgement on rock ‘n roll in 1955.

8) “Transmission of documents via telephone wires is possible in principle, but the apparatus required is so expensive that it will never become a practical proposition.”
Dennis Gabor, British physicist and author of Inventing the Future, 1962

9) “With over fifteen types of foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big share of the market for itself.”
Business Week, August 2, 1968

10) “By 1985, air pollution will have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching earth by one half…”
Life magazine, January 1970

A Happy New Year to you all !

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

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Insource or Outsource ? #pmot #in

Posted on November 5, 2010 by admin

Far East manufacture should not be the default option

Over the last 14 years Manufacturing in the U.K has shrunk from a respectable 28% of GDP to today’s all time low of 10%.

So maybe it is time to rethink our outsourcing strategy ?

Over the years we have become very complacent in the U.K about manufacturing, and in many respects have given up the ghost. We have blithely subcontracted all of our manufacturing operations with no long term view of the consequesnces. We have given away millions of jobs for a short term monetary gain and are now reaping the rewards of an economy built on sand.

Outsourcing to the Far East should NOT be the default option. We need to look at the alternatives and take the following into consideration:-

1) Compare Apples with Apples – just because the Direct labour Cost may be cheaper in the Far East what about the support costs. It is inevitable that a subcontracted operation will need more indirect suppport, sometimes more than you could possibly imagine, and this cost needs to be accounted for somewhere.

2) Is the Quality of the product really going to be the same ?- how will you ensure this ?

3) Cost of shipping – with rising fuel costs have you taken this into consideration ? you need to understand the cost per unit shipped.

4) Environmental Policy – How does the transport and distribution of products across the world fit in with your Environmental Policy – if you want customers to “buy in” to your Environmental Policy it needs to be credible and any offshore manufacture and transport should be accounted for in your overall Carbon Footprint.

5) Time of shipping – can you afford to delay initial deliveries while they are on the Sea for 5 weeks or do you want to pay extra for air freight to ensure fast delivery ?

6) Have you considered the cost of Import Duties ?

Consider the success of some of our best industries in the U.K – auto manufacture, Aerospace, telecommunications, mobile phones etc etc

Outsourcing should remain a key component of our manufacturing strategy but should note be the default option. We need to challenge the assumption that manufacturing will be subcontracted by asking the right questions.

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Stop trade with China Now ?

Posted on October 8, 2010 by admin

Today’s news that the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Price for his peaceful resistance to Chinese oppresion and work for Human rights has raised the heat on the debate – “Should we stop trade with China now ?”

Most people are aware that the vast majority of Western companies outsource manufacturing operations to China for cost reasons and perhaps it is time we began to seriously question this strategy. Have a look at any company’s website and you will find a description of the company’s environmental policy but you will be hard pressed to find any information about the company’s attitude towards democracy or human rights. If we are so concerned about Global Warming and it’s impact on the planet perhaps we should also be paying more attention to which regimes we do business with.

Of course the opposite argument is that by doing business with China we are helping to raise living standards which will inevitably lead to greater pressure for democracy and human rights.

However it would be nice to know that the debate had at least taken place and to see some kind of clear policy on company websites regarding human rights policy.

What do you think ?

Join the debate on Twitter now @projectsguru

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

Ed – tell us what you will do for manufacturing ?

Posted on September 26, 2010 by admin

Now that Ed Miliband has being elected Leader of the Labour Party perhaps we should expect some real policies to revive the U.K manufacturing industry. Ed has mentioned “broadening the industrial base” but there is precious little on the official Labour Party website to illustrate what this means.

The last Labour Government presided over the biggest decline in manufacturing industry EVER ! from 28% GDP in 1996 to a pathetic 10% in 2010.

“So what ?” you may ask.

Well, manufacturing is important for the following reasons:-

1) Jobs tend to be higher paid than those in administrative rolls.

2) Every job in manufacturing creates 10 others in the Supply Chain.

3) Products manufactured in the U.K generate important foreign income and reduce the trade deficit.

4) Making things generates a sense of self worth and pride.

5) Manufacturing provides valuable Tax revenue.

If we seriously want to reduce the current account deficit and claw our way out of recession we need some real policies to revive the manufacturing sector based on new product development and innovation.

So Ed – tell us what you will do for manufacturing ?

chris@projectsguru.co.uk

www.projectsguru.co.uk

If it looks like a turd & smells like a turd…

Posted on July 25, 2010 by admin

Libyans celebrate the return of Megrahi

As the row over the release of convicted Libyan Terrorist Abdel Baset al-Megrahi rumbles on oil giant B.P is preparing to commence drilling off the Libyan coast in waters slightly deeper than those which have been so grossly polluted in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fueling the controversy this weekend it was reported by the Financial Times that “Michel Williams told a U.S government investigator that an important alarm, which could have detected the build up of natural gas, was disarmed so as not to wake people up at night”

In 2007 B.P signed a $900 million deal with the Libyan government allowing it to begin exploration in Libyan waters.

Megrahi was released in August 2009 on compassionate grounds by the Scottish Government having being convicted in 2001 for the bombing of PAN AM flight 103 in 1988 and the murder of 270 people.

He was given only 3 months to live before release but has made a remarkable recovery since returning to Libya, it is rumoured that he has taken up Highland dancing with gusto and is often spotted out and about wearing a kilt.

Interestingly Megrahi abandoned an appeal which would have disclosed a lot of evidence to the public shortly before his release on compassionate grounds.

The debate about whether there is any connection between the release of Abdel Based al-Megrahi and the commercial deals struck between Libya, B.P and the U.K Government will rumble on but……..

If it looks like a turd and smells like a turd……………………..

chris@projectsguru.co.uk